2007 PNCLL All-Stars

[Scrape Mode]

For those that don't know, the all-star voting is pretty simple.

Each coach votes for a first team, without using his own players.

He then selects & ranks his players as to what he thinks is appropriate. After all, perceptions from the league might not be 100% accurate regarding a player's role or a player might have been over looked by other teams.

We total the votes & move on. In the event of a tie, the board discusses it & use the coaches' rankings to find a solution. What amazes me is the utter lack of ties in the voting. This is why we always defend ourselves as saying YOU select your all-star teams, not your Board.

With as large as our league has become, it is very difficult to make the 1st or 2nd teams. Think 18 teams between the A & the B, 25 guys on each roster, that's roughly 450 guys for 44 spots (2 A & 2 B teams). The guys discussed here should really feel good about what they've done this year & the people they've impressed.

People like Coffman get a lot of votes (who'd have guessed it, I hear he's pretty good) & that only leaves 2 other spots on the 1st team attack. When you start to think about the other players in the league, grabbing the 1st team honor really means you have to impress many coaches with your overall ability. These are complete players, not someone that only shoots from the outside. There aren't a lot of votes to go around for bubble players. Either you had a great season & impressed 5 other A coaches, or 9 other B coaches, or you probably didn't receive as many votes as you would have thought. Keep in mind there are only 3 spots for each position. We don't vote on the 2nd teams, they're selected via our votes for 1st team. If you were the 4th player at midfield for even a few coaches, 1st team isn't as likely as you think. Actually 2nd team is less likely as well.

Kyle- Thank you for giving us a clear understanding of how the all-star teams are made. It seems to be a good system and you guys do a great job putting in all the work to recognize players in our league. I would just like to give a shout out to a few players that may or may not get recognition on the all-star listings.
Ryan Warren, Cody Aldrich, Trevor Tesar, and Bret Retallick (Oregon's starting middies) have all four had amazing years this year. These guys do an amazing job of controlling the midfield. All four of these guys play defense and offense and can clear the ball in their sleep. In every one of Oregon's big wins this year, these four middies played outstanding and couldn't be reckoned with.
Because Oregon has such a large bench, filled with players who can ball against other PNCLL teams, league games give Oregon a chance to play everyone. During these games (the games that count for all-star voting) the team isn't expecting Ryan, Cody, Trevor, and Brett to do everything in their power to win the game for Oregon. It is the exact opposite when Oregon plays teams like BYU, and it has been during those games against top ranked oppontents, that these four guys have played out of their minds.
On the other side of things, when other PNCLL teams play Oregon, and each other, it is like Oregon playing BYU, CSU, CU.. Their top players are expected to play at the top of their game, for the entire game, to help their team succeed (these are games where all-stars are voted on).
All I am trying to say is that Ryan, Cody, Trevor, and Brett may have been miss represented in Oregon's PNCLL games, the games that count for all-conference.
Besides bringing this up to give a little shout out to these four guys in the league, I wanted to know how this plays out for All-American honors. I know that the coaches of the top programs Oregon played this year were very impressed with these four middies and their abilities to play all over the field. Will they have a chance to vote any of these guys onto an all-american squad if they don't receive first team all-league first? How does that work? Thanks.

[dukphan]

My apologies to the good doctor. My earlier post was in response to dialogue that Oregon was over-represented on some fans all-star lists, as well as to give kudos to Sunshine. My attempt at sarcasm seems to have offended, and to those affected, I apologize, as it was not my intent.

There are two things, I believe, on which everyone can agree. Not everyone who deserves to be will make the all-star team, ultimately for the simple reason there isn't enough room. When the all-star list is posted, there are going to be people that are disappointed, but more than likely they will be the fans (people like me), more than the players. This too shall pass. To all the teams and players I had the privilege to observe as I cheered on the Ducks, thanks for hours of enjoyment. You guys play the greatest team sport in the world!

The second thing we can agree on, and this mirrors other posts, is the impact Turtle has been for the Ducks. We can talk about Aldrich, Coffman, Tesar, et al, but with Scott Miller on face-offs, the Ducks are immediately on offense 90% of the time. THAT'S HUGE, especially against teams like BYU & CSU. A very large part of the Ducks success we can lay at the feet of this young man. He deserves the highest recognition of the league, period.

P.S. The use of the term "period" was for dramatic effect, and the author acknowledges the right of anyone to disagree with this opinion.

[Dr. Jason Stockton]

JC-

All-Americans are going to be a little different this year. In past years, the league would nominate candidates for all-american, and voters around the country would try to determine who deserved consideration and who did not. Players who were phenomenal, but did not play in the national tourney because their teams struggled, typically did not make the first or second team. . .and would usually get the HM nod.

This year, each coach of an all-american nominee will get to write a little "bio" if you will. . .and try to help voters make their AA selections. I think it is a great concept to have your coach write a little about the things a player does on the field that often don't get noticed. . .using your example, there is no "stat" for clears and ground ball stats are typically terribly wrong. . .but when you have a middie like Tesar who does all the little things, and scores huge goals in big games, it doesn't show up on the PNCLL stat page. When the coaches have an opportunity to "sell" their own guy, they'll be able to better express how valuable a player is to his team.

In order to be considered for All-American, you DO need to be on the league's first team. So there will be only 12 PNCLL A division players who will be considered for All-American. This is the system under which we operate, and until all of our games are on television for the entire nation to watch, I think this will remain the best system possible for voters to try to reward excellence on the field. Players' performances at Nationals are usually key for them to get AA consideration, especially first team consideration.

Our league is WAY overdue to have a few A division players on the first team All-America list. . .and with the success of the Ducks on a national level this season, I find it hard to believe we won't see a Duck or two on that 1st team.

[TajMahalLAX]

I think we are all forgetting about an Oregon middie by the name of Ryan Warren. If the PNCLL has missed anyone in the last 4 years it is him. As a four year starter at Oregon he excelled at attack. This season he has moved to middie and led an amazing first line. His AA bio would say it all.

[Scrape Mode]

JS-
Thanks for the response. So the coaches have one or two nights after the first games at Nationals, before the final game (where AA's are announced) to make their picks?

[Menace2Winnemucca]

Got to agree with TajMahalLAX on this one. Oregon's Warren has been overlooked for far too long. The guy's a complete player, offensively and defensively, and he continuously dominates anyone who tries to match up against him. Beyond his on-field performances, word is his work ethic and commitment to his team alone deserve much recognition.

Hopefully Retallick also gets the love he deserves when the selections are announced this weekend. He's a solid player and creates an endless amount of scoring opportunities for his team.

[allday42]

I would also put Warren as a lock for 1st team in the PNCLL. He has more points than Tesar or Aldrich, plays great defense, and hustles like his life depended on it. Not to mention the fact that he played attack for the last 3 years and moved to middie his Senior year to help the team. I just don't see how you can leave him off 1st team.

[TajMahalLAX]

What about Jake Misner from Boise State? He is an amazing athlete and definitely deserves some respect. He had six goals against Oregon and never slowed down.

[boisestatePole]

Jake is a great player and he has improved 100% in the four years at Boise State. He is a great leader and his rocket shot is quite impressive but what is more impressive are his passes. This past weekend, he made some amazing feeds while drawing nearly all 6 Idaho defenders at once. He made 1st team last year and I know he deserves at least a look to repeat.

[Chris Larson]

In order to be considered for All-American, you DO need to be on the league's first team. So there will be only 12 PNCLL A division players who will be considered for All-American.

Jason,

Players nominated for All America recognition need to receive All Conference recognition - not just first team. Since not all conferences award the same number of "teams", and others don't always make sound selections (eg: An unnamed Conference recognizing four 1st team All Conference players from a team that didn't qualify for their Conference Tournament) we need to have some flexibility.

[Scrape Mode]

What about Jake Misner from Boise State? He is an amazing athlete and definitely deserves some respect. He had six goals against Oregon and never slowed down.

The score of that game was 20-5. Jake had 3g0a. He did impress tho...

[Shawn Carman]

If its stats you want, this weekend against U of I Jake Misner had 2 goals and 6 assists in his last home game.

He really put on a show giving up the ball to his teammates rather than tallying up the G's. And everyone knows that assists are worth 2.

[nhoskins]

And he did it all with one eye

[Dr. Jason Stockton]

In order to be considered for All-American, you DO need to be on the league's first team. So there will be only 12 PNCLL A division players who will be considered for All-American.

Jason,

Players nominated for All America recognition need to receive All Conference recognition - not just first team. Since not all conferences award the same number of "teams", and others don't always make sound selections (eg: An unnamed Conference recognizing four 1st team All Conference players from a team that didn't qualify for their Conference Tournament) we need to have some flexibility.

Chris, thanks for the clarification.

[Mark Brown]

If MVP included all aspects of the lacrosse team, I would have to vote for either Kevin Flynn of Montana or Will Patton of Willamette in the B division. Both of these individuals did more for their respective teams as a whole than anybody can do on the field. Without Will, I doubt Willamette would have been in the PNCLL this year. Without Kevin, Montana lacrosse would not be the force that it is today. Both guys passion for the game shows through in the amount of time they will spend doing things that are not normally players' roles. Hats off to both of you and all of the other players that do the behind the scene roles that can go un-noticed. You are spreading the best game on earth and it is noticed.